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Finally… right?

The last leg of the trip…. When we flew into Lima, I think it was about midday. I recall leaving the Jammin Club around 1:30am to go finish packing and catch the 3:45am cab to the airport in Santiago. There was the most amazing sea of clouds below us as we descended upon the airport in Lima. I wish I had a picture.

We pretty much landed, went to our friend’s apartment to drop our stuff, and then partied for the weekend. I can’t remember now what happened which night, but there was an awesome live salsa band, a house party that sort of reminded me of the frat parties in IV only less pretentious, a VIP night at a hot night club on the cliff over the ocean, and a couple capoeira engagements. We book-ended the Peru experience with all of that over two consecutive weekends. During the week in between those two, we had a whole other adventure.

The flight to Cusco was short and the altitude (3395m/11203ft) was noticeable as soon as the door to the plane opened. Our mission was simple: see as much of the city, local ruins and Machu Picchu as possible. Room and board were cheap and came with all the coca tea you could drink. They say it helps with altitude acclimation, but I say it gives me crazy dreams… not a fan… or am I… hmm…

As per usual, it’s good to know people. Our friends in Lima had a friend in Cusco. That got us a trusty (sort of) cab driver for the ride through the Urubamba valley to Ollantaytambo, where we would catch the train to Aguas Calientes. From there, we’d have a bus ride up the mountain to the entrance of Machu Picchu. I might have preferred to walk in before the buses arrived via the Inka trail, but that pleasure has to be booked well in advance. We were wingin’ it.

Wouldn’t you know it, the Cusco friend had a friend in Aguas Calientes. But, that didn’t get us much to speak of, except piles of faulty information. We figured it out for ourselves and managed to arrive at the entrance to Machu Picchu some time between 6 and 7am. It was pretty foggy all morning. As we strolled in, a feeling hit me… a very peaceful feeling… very tranquil.

The first thing we did was walk across the whole thing to get to the entrance leading up the mountain called Wayna Picchu. You can see it as the bigger mountain in the very middle of the picture here, which was taken from the Inka Trail entrance to the ruins (by somebody other than us, obviously). The climb up the thing was pretty brutal, but totally worth it. The last picture I have below is from up there.

When we got back down, we started exploring the ruins themselves. I must say, the place has an eerily good vibe to it, except for the people who blow their whistles at you when you walk somewhere you’re not supposed to be. I was determined to spend a moment out in the center of the big grass field in the middle, but apparently that’s a no-no. They were blowing whistles at me from all the way up at the sacrificial temple. Maybe there was a reason I’m not allowed down there, though, because it wasn’t long after that I started to feel ill. It seems one thing they failed to mention was that just about everybody gets sick on their way through Cusco and the surrounding towns.

Fortunately, I had already explored the majority of the ruins before it really got me. I had to leave Thang in there and get back out to the main entrance where there was a bathroom and a lawn I was allowed to lay in. The bus ride back down was a real test. I was shaking, sweating, going numb, hyperventilating, all while trying not to puke. The next two days were spent in bed and in the bathroom. I never did throw up and I’m very proud of that. Unfortunately though, Thang did, as he wound up with virtually the same thing the following day. All I have to say is I’m glad we got to make it through the Machu Picchu ruins first.

Check out the last of the footage…

Parrilla Peruana (Peruvian BBQ)


One of the main cathedrals in Cusco


Night time in Cusco, just after a mild drizzle


View of Cusco from above (sort of)


The kids ran back into class when it started to hail


A typical street (read as “stairway”) in Cusco


Somewhere, somebody has this on a T-shirt


Eagle (I think) soaring over the Urubamba valley


Inka crop experimentation center… smart people… good corn!


Local delicacy (guinea pig) tended to by the cutest little girl with tires for shoes


Entering Machu Picchu roughly 6:30am


Back up the other direction


And the spectacular view from across the way at the top of Wayna Picchu (this doesn’t do it justice)